£13.5m boost for jobs in Cross Hands

Carmarthenshire’s executive board has visited the site of a planned employment site in Cross Hands. The £13.5m investment aims to develop a new strategic employment park at Cross Hands East capable of employing over 1,000 people.

The project will offer fully serviced plots to meet the demands of local businesses wishing to start up or expand as well as offering opportunity for inward investment. The aim is toprovide Carmarthenshire and the Western Valleys with the infrastructure necessary for the development of a competitive local economy and provide an adequate supply of suitable employment land to meet demand over the next 10-15 years.
The funding is made up of £9m from the Welsh Government, including the Western Valleys Regeneration Area programme, European Regional Development Fund and Transport grant. The development will be managed and implemented by Carmarthenshire County Council which is investing £4m in the scheme.
Executive Board member for regeneration Cllr Clive Scourfield said: “Our aim is to ensure that Carmarthenshire will have employment land of the highest quality to attract investment and provide jobs in future.
“Despite difficult economic times it is vital that we develop the sites to accommodate future business investment and expansion.”
Specific works will include a new access road from the A48, together with the construction of a new internal road and provision for public utilities and landscaping to ensure protection and enhancement of existing bio-diversity. The employment site proposals remain subject to planning with negotiations over the sale of some land parcels ongoing.